SG Americas Securities LLC Trims Stock Position in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF)

SG Americas Securities LLC cut its position in shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) by 80.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,309 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,577 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Stifel Financial were worth $160,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vest Financial LLC purchased a new position in Stifel Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $248,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stifel Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Dfpg Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stifel Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $214,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 28.4% in the 3rd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 79,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,875,000 after acquiring an additional 17,526 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 30.7% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 16,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,019,000 after acquiring an additional 3,892 shares during the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

Stifel Financial stock opened at $74.37 on Tuesday. Stifel Financial Corp. has a 52-week low of $54.81 and a 52-week high of $78.33. The company’s 50 day moving average is $75.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $7.65 billion, a PE ratio of 17.38 and a beta of 1.18.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.19. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The company had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.58 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 7.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This is an increase from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on SF. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $88.00 price objective on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $86.50 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stifel Financial

In other Stifel Financial news, SVP Thomas B. Michaud sold 25,421 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $1,887,763.46. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 90,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,687,484.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Victor Nesi sold 36,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.37, for a total value of $2,713,320.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 54,732 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,125,150.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Thomas B. Michaud sold 25,421 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $1,887,763.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 90,055 shares in the company, valued at $6,687,484.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.52% of the company’s stock.

Stifel Financial Profile

Stifel Financial Corp., a financial services and bank holding company, provides retail and institutional wealth management, and investment banking services to individual investors, corporations, municipalities, and institutions in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Global Wealth Management, Institutional Group, and Other.